Connecticut
Waterbury bans hourly motel rentals in effort to curb illegal activity
The Waterbury Board of Aldermen voted unanimously Monday night to approve an ordinance banning hourly hotel and motel room rentals in the city. It’s a move city officials say is aimed at reducing crime, including human trafficking and prostitution.
“We know that rooms rented by the hour cause only one thing, and that’s problems,” Paul Kondash, a city resident who supports the ordinance, said.
Proposed by Mayor Paul Pernerewski Jr., the ordinance prohibits any hotel, motel or rooming house from renting rooms for fewer than 12 hours at a time.
Pernerewski said the ordinance is another tool to help law enforcement address criminal activity in the area.
“If you’re renting a room for an hour, three, four hours, we know what’s happening in there. It’s either prostitution, sex trafficking, there’s drug use, drug sales, maybe gambling as well…none of those things are legal, and they all drag down the neighborhood, the quality of life for everyone in Waterbury,” he said. “There’s no legitimate person that I know that’s coming to Waterbury looking to rent a hotel room for four hours.”
“There’s only really two hotels that we believe in Waterbury that do that. They will both tell you they don’t, but we believe that they do that in shorter blocks,” Pernerewski continued.
The mayor said the two hotels that have historically offered hourly rates are the Big Apple Motel on West Main Street and the Valley Motel on South Main Street.
NBC Connecticut called both the Big Apple and Valley motels on Monday. Aijaz Ahmad, owner of the Big Apple Motel, said his business stopped offering hourly rentals years ago.
“More than two years ago, we stopped those. We don’t give them no more,” Ahmad said. “A lot of people are traveling, and you can never judge it, but we’re not giving them.”
When asked whether he supports the ordinance, Ahmad replied, “Yes, we don’t want the prostitutes around here.”
Shortly before 8 p.m. Monday, NBC Connecticut called the Valley Motel without identifying ourselves, and inquired about hourly rates. A woman who answered the phone initially said it’s “too late,” but when asked about hourly rates the next day, she said a two-hour stay would cost $70.
A follow-up call identifying the station was answered, but a request to speak to the owner was denied.
Martin Spring, another city resident, said he supports the ordinance in theory, but questioned its broader implications.
“I think you’re violating people’s rights in a way,” Spring said. “What business is it of anybody’s what I’m doing? I understand what people are saying…you gotta look at both sides of the coin.”
“That to me would be a red light going up to people, think about it, who want to come to the city. They might look at this and say, you know, what is the city doing? What are they saying? That we can’t come in to Waterbury and we can’t rent a hotel room now?” he continued.
Safe Haven of Greater Waterbury, a nonprofit supporting survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking, voiced strong support for the ordinance.
The Greater Danbury area isn’t exactly known as a buffet hotspot, but if you’re willing to venture beyond your zip code, the state delivers some awe-inspiring all-you-can-eat experiences. A recent “Only In Your State” feature crowned one buffet as the best in Connecticut — and that raised a very local question: Do any buffets near Danbury compare?
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The Top 5 Buffets in Connecticut
Topping the statewide list is the Pacific Buffet & Grill in Wallingford, celebrated by Only In Your State as Connecticut’s best. This place is the gold standard, known for its huge seafood selection, sushi bar, hibachi grill, and sheer variety. Crab legs, shrimp, steak, noodles — it’s all here, and it’s why people happily drive across the state for it.
Other standout buffets earning consistent praise include Osaka Hibachi Buffet in Stratford, loved for its cleanliness and sushi options, and Hibachi Grill & Supreme Buffet in South Plainfield, which boasts hundreds of rotating items and a popular cook-to-order hibachi station. Rounding out the top five are Imperial China Buffet in Watertown a dependable classic, and Royal Buffet Sushi and Grill in New Milford, which is especially important for Greater Danbury diners.
So… What About Buffets Near Danbury?
Here’s the honest truth: Danbury doesn’t have a Pacific-level buffet. But there are a couple of respectable local options. Grand Century Buffet at 1 Padanaram Road remains the city’s most familiar buffet, offering a wide selection at reasonable prices. It’s not flashy, but it gets the job done.
Meanwhile, Agogo Asian & Sushi Buffet, 15-19 Backus Ave., has earned strong reviews for quality — especially sushi — even if the buffet itself is smaller than the state’s heavy hitters.
The Bottom Line
If you’re chasing Connecticut’s best buffet, it’s worth the drive. But if you’re staying local, New Milford and Danbury still offer solid options that satisfy the all-you-can-eat craving without a road trip.
7 of the Best Italian Restaurants in Greater Danbury For 2025
7 New Connecticut Restaurants to Get Excited About in 2025
As 2026 begins, Connecticut is gearing up another busy news year. The legislature is in session beginning next month, with numerous items up for consideration that could have an impact on residents. Also, Gov. Ned Lamont is seeking a third term and the entire General Assembly is up for election, which could alter the balance of power in Connecticut.
Also in 2026, new laws on housing, cancer screening, absentee ballots and more went into effect January 1.
But before we get too far into 2026, let’s take a look back at CTNewsJunkie’s biggest stories of 2025, as determined by our readers. In scanning the list of top 10 most-read stories, transportation, elections, new laws, a new state holiday and clean energy emerged as popular reads.
Credit: Olga Maksimava / Shutterstock
Transportation
It is easy to see what weighs most on readers’ minds, as transportation-related stories made up fully half of the 10 most popular stories list.
Four of the top 10 stories (#s 2, 3, 8 and 10 on the list) dealt with traffic cameras. What towns have been approved for them? What towns are applying? What are the rules for using them to enforce speed? How much revenue do they generate? These were all questions on the minds of readers.
The fifth transit-related story, and sixth-most popular overall, dealt with the construction of the new Naugatuck Metro-North train station and overhaul of the surrounding area into a mixed-use community.
New laws
Two of CTNewsJunkie’s top 10 stories of 2025 dealt with new state laws. Our Dec. 19 story about new laws taking effect January 1 came in at #7, and a similar story in June about new laws taking effect July 1 ranked #9 for the year.
Offshore wind
CTNewsJunkie’s coverage of the Revolution Wind project proved popular with readers, but only one story on that topic cracked the annual top 10. Published on Dec. 26, traditionally a slow news day, the story about four northeastern governors demanding a briefing on the alleged national security concerns of offshore wind generation drew enough interest to rank #5 on the annual list.
Light overcomes darkness
Connecticut gained a new state holiday in 2025, and readers made the story about the announcement the fourth-most popular story of the year.
Public Act 25-59 established Diwali as a state holiday. Connecticut is only the second state to recognize the Southeast Asian holiday celebrating the victory of light over darkness. The state holiday officially is the 15th day of the month Kartik in the Hindu lunar calendar. In the Gregorian calendar the holiday typically falls in September or October.
Democrats roll in municipal elections
CTNewsJunkie’s most-read story of 2025, by far, was the Nov. 5 story detailing the results of the Nov. 4 municipal elections. Connecticut’s political landscape changed dramatically in one day, with 27 towns flipping from Republican to Democratic leadership. In contrast, one town — Easton — flipped the other way, with a Republican replacing an incumbent Democrat who did not seek reelection.
At just over 36%, voter turnout was about 10% higher than average for an odd-numbered year.
Ten people are displaced after a fire broke out at the 400 block of Washington Avenue in Bridgeport.
At around 5:30 p.m., the Bridgeport Fire Department responded to a fire alarm.
Upon arrival, firefighters located heavy smoke conditions after the fire was extinguished in one unit by the sprinkler system.
Nine units were affected, displacing ten people.
There were no reported injuries.
The American Red Cross is working to help those who were displaced.
Target is having a huge New Year fitness sale, and this highly-rated exercise bike is now $200 off
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